Viewers got the silent treatment during Week 8 of “Dancing With the Stars.”

When Nyle DiMarco and his Season 22 partner, Peta Murgatroyd, took the dance floor during Monday night’s installment, the fan favorite couple gave audiences a glimpse into Nyle’s quiet world by performing a few moments of their paso doble in complete silence.

“Having this silence section in our dance is very risky thing to do,” Peta said during their pre-performance package video. “And I want to pull it off without anything going wrong.”

During rehearsals viewers could see the troupe members who partook in the routine struggling to stay in sync with one another when the song “Victorious” by Panic! at the Disco” went silent. However, the group managed to pull it together for the live performance, causing judge Carrie Ann Inaba to break down in tears during her critique of the emotional routine.

“[The routine] was so fierce,” the misty-eyed judge said. “And then you went in silence mode. I’ve seen a lot on this show, [but] I never seen anything like that.”

Carrie Ann continued to say that the routine touched her “profoundly” because it allowed audiences to experience how Nyle, the show’s first deaf male contestant, dances every week. “Thank you for this gift. You guys are brilliant,” she gushed.

Judge Bruno Tonioli’s mind was also blown by the bold performance. He said the routine would go down in history as a “Dancing With the Stars” classic.

Nyle was “relieved” by the positive feedback and felt honored to show others what it’s like to be deaf through his innovative dance. Peta, who also had glossy eyes, was ecstatic to have redefined what it is to dance. “It’s an amazing feeling and this week was really stressful,” she said. “I wanted to show America what it’s like in his world. I’m glad we were able to do that tonight.”

Nyle and Peta received a 29 out of 30 for their Week 8 routine.

“Dancing With the Stars” airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC

RELATED STORIES